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HELP ME WITH MY LAZINESS. I don’t mean help me NOT to be lazy. I mean help me TO be lazy. Facilitate my lazing.
Listen, I know how to paint a piece of furniture. You wash it, sand it, clean it off, prime it, sometimes resand, paint it, add a coat, sometimes add some kind of finishing… something or other. BUT NOBODY WANTS TO DO ALL THAT.
But I have this piece of furniture and I need you to tell me how to paint it without doing any of that. SEND ME YOUR HACKS, send me your tricks, send me your teenager eager to earn money by painting my turtle cabinet. Help me out.
Okay, the backstory: I bought my turtle’s tank off Craigslist from a guy who had NO CLUE what he was doing. These things run about $1,000-3,000 on a good day. He listed this thing for $300. I was poor and therefore ecstatic when I found it.
I got there and he realized what he had done and tried to raise the price. I told him I only had the $300 we agreed on as I loaded that baby in the truck. A DEAL IS A DEAL.
It’s been a lovely home for Squirt and I’m so grateful for it. It’s a 130-gallon tank and a perfect fit for him. But I’ve never loved how it looks: the aquarium cabinet is that old-fashioned walnut color that most people have repainted by now.
BUT AS I MENTIONED, LAZINESS.
Okay it’s also not just laziness: you can’t move the thing! It’s filled with hundreds of pounds of water or whatever, and nobody is emptying it to repaint. So old-fashioned walnut it is.
So what’s changed now? Well, I may or may not have a little change of scenery in my future (stay tuned!) and I want this cabinet to finally blend in.
SO HELP ME OUT. If I were gonna paint this thing but refused to sand and also only reluctantly agreed to do much else, what would you recommend? Someone said chalk paint. Someone else said milk paint. Someone else said cover it in fabric. What would you do?
While we’re in the mood for easy fixes, I’ll share one with you too. I’m not usually a huge cookie fan, but these cookies are NUTS. They’re soft and pillowy like all pudding mix cookies, but the flavor is buttery, rich birthday cake dreaminess.
I found this McCormick cake batter extract and I knew I needed to try it out. Fair warning that it smells gross, but I tried it anyway and I’m SO glad I did. That plus French vanilla pudding mix plus caramel bits made these cookies SO buttery and cakey. Enjoy!
One year ago: Butter Pecan Cake
Two years ago: Easy Strawberry Cheesecake Tart
Three years ago: Chipotle Shrimp Tacos with White Sauce
Four years ago: Chile Baked Salmon with Lime Butter
Five years ago: Strawberry Cobbler with Lemon Cream
Six years ago: Cherry Lemon Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
Seven years ago: Thyme Orange Cranberry Shortbread Cookies
Eight years ago: Soft Sugar Cookies and Cookie Decorating with Freedom School
Nine years ago: Homemade Buttery Croissants and Pains au Chocolat
Ten years ago: Mallows
- 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) butter, softened
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 (3.4-ounce) box French vanilla pudding mix
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cake batter extract (like McCormick Imitation Cake Batter Flavor (affiliate link)
- 2 1/8 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup multicolored sprinkles
- 1 cup Caramel Bits (affiliate link)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray two baking sheets with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda. In a separate large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add in pudding mix and mix well. Add in eggs and extracts and mix until just combined. Slowly add in flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Stir in sprinkles and caramel bits.
- Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place them on prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until just set. Cool on a wire rack.
Rebecca
July 18, 2019 at 1:11 am (5 years ago)Ooohhh – intriguing comment about a possible change of scenery…..
Cookies look so yummy!
Please see the following although I have no personal knowledge of the topic. And please share before and after photos of your project. 🙂
https://www.hometalk.com/28790248/q-what-kind-of-paint-should-i-use-to-paint-walnut-wood-bedroom-furniture
My bedroom furniture is 49 years old and I am tired of the walnut wood color. I want to paint my triple dresser, tall bureau and two night stands. The colors I will be using are gray and black, but I do not know what brand is best to buy for furniture which will not leave brush strokes.
CK
on Apr 26, 2017
Look for a brand of paint that says “self leveling” for fewer brush marks. Or purchase a product called “Flotrol”. It’s an additive used with water-based paints to help level out the paint and reduce brush marks.
And VERY important for any brand of paint is buying high quality brushes! Most professional painters rely very heavily on Purdy Brushes. You can also try foam rollers but sometimes they do leave a sort of “textured” appearance. If you’re looking for very smooth, go with brushes. Or if your budget allows, you could get a small paint sprayer. I’ve used this one and LOVE it! 🙂 It’s about $80.
https://www.wagnerspraytech.com/products/paint-sprayers/interior-exterior/studio-home-decor-paint-sprayer/
Remember: the higher the gloss, the more brush marks will show and also any imperfections in the furniture itself (such as scrapes, dings, scratches).
nona
July 18, 2019 at 3:29 pm (5 years ago)I painted my mother’s old bedroom suit – vanity, dresser, bed using chalk paint. The veneer was gone in places. Pet bunny had chewed legs and I wiped it off and got to painting. I painted it all a light blue chalk. Painted a second coat in white chalk and then sanded some spots to distress it. I’ve never done it before but it gave a new life to this furniture with no sanding and not polyurethane. I put a wax on it afterwards and it is good to go.
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September 11, 2021 at 10:37 am (3 years ago)Great recipe. Thx
Vicky
April 23, 2022 at 8:53 am (3 years ago)Very fun and delicious cookies to prepare this weekend and surprise my children. They will love them, Thanks for sharing.
Rohit Attri
May 3, 2023 at 5:58 am (2 years ago)This recipe seems really easy to follow, even for a beginner baker like me. Thanks for sharing!
Vickie H.
November 25, 2023 at 10:12 pm (12 months ago)Just saw this & would like to know if that pudding is cooked on the stove. I don’t care for the chemical flavors in instant puddings but really hope to make this recipe. Thank you!
Joanne
February 19, 2024 at 8:25 am (9 months ago)Did u make the cookies? How did they come out?